7 new California laws taking effect in 2023

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — Governor Gavin Newsom signed a number of bills into law that come into effect at the start of the new year.

In 2023, changes are coming to laws governing traffic, official holidays, the workplace and more. Here are seven of the new laws to be aware of come Jan. 1.

Feather Alert System

Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1314 earlier this year, which creates a system similar to Amber Alert but for indigenous people who have gone missing "under unexplained or suspicious circumstances."

California Highway Patrol said the system will go into effect on Jan. 1.

Minimum Wage Increase

California's minimum wage will increase by 50 cents to $15.50. The state codified automatic annual minimum wage increases tied to inflation (but capped at 3.5%) in 2016.

Transparency of Pay Scales

Another new law requires companies with 15 or more employees to post pay scales in job postings.

The bill also requires companies with 100 or more employees to include “the median and mean hourly rate for each combination of race, ethnicity, and sex within each job category” in pay data reports they’re already required to submit to the state.

New Holidays

Newsom signed several new state holidays into law in September including Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24), Juneteenth (June 19) Lunar New Year (on the second or third new moon following the winter solstice) and Native American Day (fourth Friday of September).

Farm Workers

A bill expanding the rights of farm workers in California to unionize will take effect come January, but the legislature is already expected to alter the new law.

Newsom expressed problems with the bill prior to signing it but agreed to sign it after unions supporting the bill promised to work with lawmakers in the next legislative session to address his concerns.

Legalizing Jaywalking

Under a law that comes into effect in 2023, it is only an offense to cross the street at a non-designated area when “a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of a collision.”

Passing Bicyclists

Previously, California law required vehicles to maintain 3 feet distance when passing bicycles headed in the same direction but a new law will now require vehicles to move into another lane "with due regard for safety and traffic conditions, if practicable and not prohibited by law."

Maybe: Fast Food Labor Council

There's one law that is scheduled to come into effect on Jan. 1, but efforts are underway to stop it until Californians can vote on it in 2024.

Newsom signed Assembly Bill 257 on Labor Day earlier this year, which would create a council to oversee labor conditions in the fast food industry. Since then, companies like McDonald's, In-N-Out and their franchisees have been working to get a measure in front of voters to stop the council from being created.

The campaign announced last week that it turned in more than 1 million signatures to the Secretary of State's office as part of the referendum process. If 623,212 of those signatures are found to be valid, the measure will likely be able to put the measure on hold until the November 2024 general election.

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